Iran foils hijack attempt, arrests three

TEHRAN, Iran (Reuters) -- Security guards foiled an attempt to hijack an Iranian passenger plane in southern Iran on Monday, arresting the three would-be hijackers, the official news agency IRNA reported.

It said the plane, on a flight from the southwestern city of Ahvaz operated by the company Ariatour, landed safely in Bandar Abbas on the Gulf, its scheduled destination.

The three, who allegedly attempted to hijack the plane through unspecified threats, were turned over to legal authorities, the agency said. It gave no details on how many people were aboard the aircraft.

Iranian passenger planes carry plainclothes agents of the Revolutionary Guards since a spate of hijackings in the 1980s by Iraq-based rebels.

The agents also foiled a hijack attempt on another domestic flight in September.

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